Vis-NIR spectroscopy based rapid and non-destructive method to quantitate microplastics: An emerging contaminant in farm soil.

Microplastics (MPs) is the second most important environmental issue and can potentially enter into food chain through farmland contamination and other means. There are no standardized extraction methods for quantification of MPs in soil. The embedded errors and biases generated serious problems regarding the comparability of different studies and leading to erroneous estimation.

Nitrification and urease inhibitors mitigate global warming potential and ammonia volatilization from urea in rice-wheat system in India: A field to lab experiment.

The efficacy of alternative nitrogenous fertilizers for mitigating greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from a rice-wheat cropping system in northern India was addressed in a laboratory incubation experiment using soil from a 10-year residue management field experiment (crop residue removal, CRR, vs. incorporation, CRI). Neem coated urea (NCU), standard urea (U), urea ammonium sulfate (UAS), and two alternative fertilizers, urea + urease inhibitor NBPT (UUI) and urea + urease inhibitor NBPT + nitrification inhibitor DMPSA (UUINI) were compared to non-fertilized controls for four weeks in incubation under anaerobic condition.

Mitigation of yield-scaled greenhouse gas emissions from irrigated rice through Azolla, Blue-green algae, and plant growth-promoting bacteria.

Irrigated transplanted flooded rice is a major source of methane (CH) emission. We carried out experiments for 2 years in irrigated flooded rice to study if interventions like methane-utilizing bacteria, Blue-green algae (BGA), and Azolla could mitigate the emission of CH and nitrous oxide (NO) and lower the yield-scaled global warming potential (GWP). The experiment included nine treatments: T (120 kg N ha urea), T (90 kg N ha urea + 30 kg N ha fresh Azolla), T (90 kg N ha urea + 30 kg N ha Blue-green algae (BGA), T (60 kg N ha urea + 30 kg N ha BGA + 30 kg N ha Azolla, T (120 kg N ha urea + Hyphomicrobium facile MaAL69), T (120 kg N ha by urea + Burkholderia vietnamiensis AAAr40), T (120 kg N ha by urea + Methylobacteruim oryzae MNL7), T (120 kg N ha urea + combination of Burkholderia AAAr40, Hyphomicrobium facile MaAL69, Methylobacteruim oryzae MNL7), and T (no N fertilizer).

Methane production, oxidation and mitigation: A mechanistic understanding and comprehensive evaluation of influencing factors.

Methane is one of the critical greenhouse gases, which absorb long wavelength radiation, affects the chemistry of atmosphere and contributes to global climate change. Rice ecosystem is one of the major anthropogenic sources of methane. The anaerobic waterlogged soil in rice field provides an ideal environment to methanogens for methanogenesis.

Biosorption of Cd(II) on jatropha fruit coat and seed coat.

Jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.) seed coat (JSC) and fruit coat (JFC) were investigated for adsorption of Cd(II) from aqueous solutions. JFC and JSC fine powders were characterized using FTIR and SEM which indicated that both the adsorbents have high surface area, pore space on their surface, and anionic sites for metal ion binding.

Greenhouse gas mitigation in rice-wheat system with leaf color chart-based urea application.

Conventional blanket application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer results in more loss of N from soil system and emission of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas (GHG). The leaf color chart (LCC) can be used for real-time N management and synchronizing N application with crop demand to reduce GHG emission. A 1-year study was carried out to evaluate the impact of conventional and LCC-based urea application on emission of nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide in a rice-wheat system of the Indo-Gangetic Plains of India.

Simulation of nitrogen dynamics in soil using infocrop model.

Nitrogen is the most widely used fertilizer nutrient, and it is a universally deficient nutrient too, which often severely restricts the growth and yield of crops. To improve N fertilizer management, soil-plant system models can be applied to simulate adequate N supply for both, optimal crop growth and minimal N losses. The likely impact of climate change on the cereal production is of paramount importance in the planning strategies to meet the future growing needs on sustainable grounds.